Like her older brother, Benjamin, Jane Franklin was a passionate reader, gifted writer, and shrewd political observer.

Her extraordinary life is finally revealed in historian Jill Lepore's new book Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin which she discusses on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

While Benjamin was rich and famous, Jane was poor and obscure. Yet she was a constant presence and influence in her brother's life -- in fact, Benjamin wrote more letters to her than to any other individual.

Making use of an astonishing cache of little-studied material, Lepore brings Jane Franklin to life in a way that illuminates not only this remarkable woman but also an entire world. With its strikingly original view of Benjamin Franklin, this study of his sister provides an original account of America's founding and one of the great untold stories of American history and letters.

Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History, a Harvard College Professor, and chair of Harvard's History and Literature Program. She is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history. Among her books are The Mansion of Happiness: A History of Life and Death;The Story of America: Essays on Origins; The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle for American History; New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan; and The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Free parking is available at the Library District Parking Garage at 10th and Baltimore. RSVP atkclibrary.org[1] or call 816.701.3407.